Siena Hamlets & Vineyards™

Tuscan Cooking, Wine Tour & Spa~6 Day

Imagine an enchanting country Tuscan winery nestled among vineyards and olive groves on a panoramic hillside overlooking the town of Siena. Welcome to Siena’s Hamlets & Vineyards cooking program with Chef Elena at her residence set in roses and pine trees – truly one of the most charming hideaways in the rolling Chianti hills.

Your hosts are a husband and wife team, passionate winemakers and sommeliers and experts on local cuisine. From the day you arrive, you will be welcomed like a long-lost friend and swept up into the day-to-day activities of everyday Tuscan life. Keep busy in the kitchen as you pick up tricks on how to turn out perfect Pappa al Pomodoro, that wonderfully fresh Tuscan bread and tomato soup, Chianti Risotto, baked ham with potatoes and capers and delicious strawberry Tiramisu. Sample the estate’s home produced olive oil; enjoy a relaxing spa treatment; visit the nearby town of San Gimignano with its famous towers; spend a day at the one of the most important Brunello di Montalcino wineries where you’ll enjoy a tasting of some of their best wines accompanied by a light lunch.

Cooking Classes

The culinary traditions of Tuscany are closely linked to its most characteristic flavors, and during this program you will discover the ancient roots of many traditional dishes. Step into Elena’s vegetable garden to gather the seasonal produce and herbs you’ll need for the lesson and quickly transform delicious fruit and vegetables into local specialties such as spinach gnocchi, vegetable quiche, Bruschette with zucchini marinated in lemon juice, larded pork with fennel and onions and the delicious sounding hot apple pie with orange sauce. Chef Elena’s classes are informative and light hearted, and during each lesson you’ll prepare a full three course menu. Afterwards, enjoy all the foods you’ve created for lunch, each accompanied by a different type of wine produced on the estate.

Siena

Set among the olive groves and vineyards of Chianti, Siena is one of the most popular and attractive towns of Tuscany. It is a town that has changed very little over the centuries, and its unique shell-shaped central piazza, Piazza del Campo, is now regarded as one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe. Famous for its annual historic horse race, the palio, which takes place in the central piazza, Siena has much to offer visitors. The Duomo is a striking example of Italian Romanesque architecture and was originally intended to be the grandest cathedral in existence (before funds ran out!), and Palazzo Pubblico houses Ambrogio Lorenzetti frescos on ‘the results of good and bad government’. However, just a few steps away from the main square, a tangle of narrow, winding side streets and steps temp strollers into every hidden angle of the town, past pretty squares, bars and restaurants and theaters.

Accommodations

Just 5 miles from Siena, your charming country resort is set in a stunning 54 acres within the Chianti Classico landscape and offers breathtaking views over Siena or the Chianti Valley. Apartments and suites have all been carefully restored so that all are unique and each is decorated in Tuscan country house style: some with terracotta floors, wood beamed ceilings and stonewalls, others with walls of sage, blush, saffron, sky blue and ochre yellow. Furnishings are stylish: chests, furniture, glass cabinets and antiques were picked up in the local antique markets and restored by skilled local artisans and pretty accents are provided by one off pieces in glass and ceramic. Breakfast is served on the terrace daily and includes delicious homemade cakes and tarts, bruschette, cheeses and cold meats. There are extensive grounds to be explored with sweet smelling juniper trees and a wonderful swimming pool, but the fiery sunsets and starlit skies provide all the best entertainment of all.

After breakfast, a wonderful tour of the Chianti wine region between Siena and Florence. You will visit local cellars for a wine tasting, a small medieval hamlet known for its beauty, an Etruscan tomb site where you will learn the beginnings of the Tuscan culture and you will enjoy an unforgettable lunch in a local trattoria.

Return to Property.

After your full day tour, head to the kitchen for your hands-on Tuscan Cooking Class 1. Dinner follows and everyone eats the foods prepared in class together. Water and local wine included.

Day 3: Excursion To the Crete Senesi Area & Brunello di Montalcino Winery

Breakfast is served.

After breakfast, excursion to the postcard perfect area of the Crete Senesi (the hills that are lined with Cypress trees) where you will visit a monastery that has 14th century Renaissance masterpieces, a small medieval hamlet built entirely from local bricks and travertine, enjoy a tasting of Pecorino cheese, taste some fabulous Brunello wines and enjoy a typical Tuscan lunch.

Return to property.

Dinner at the property.

Day 4: Cooking Class 2 & Afternoon Free

Breakfast is served.

After breakfast, head to the kitchen for your hands-on Cooking Class 2 with Chef Elena. Lunch follows and includes the dishes made in class. Water and local wine included.

Afternoon free to relax or visit Siena on your own.

Dinner at the property.

Day 5: Cooking Class 3, Spa Treatment & Farewell Dinner

Breakfast is served.

After breakfast, head to the kitchen for your final hands-on Cooking Class 3 with Chef Elena. Lunch follows and includes the dishes made in class. Water and local wine included.

In the afternoon, enjoy a wonderful Spa Treatment. Choose between a Shiatsu, Relax or Ayurvedico massage that will leave you feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. Massages are carried out by experts either below the patio next to the pool, in the privacy of your own apartment or immersed in nature, in the woods, in the meadow or under the trees.

Arrival & Departure transfers from Siena train station. Transfers from Florence can also be arranged at a surcharge.

Program Prices

$2,995 per person, based on double occupancy. All taxes and Italian VAT included.
$3,995 per person, based on single occupancy. All taxes and Italian VAT included.

2015 Dates: This program is available throughout the year. You can check in and start your cooking program any day of the week. Rates are subject to change based on currency exchange. Call for updated rates. Airfare not included.